Best compact phones 2024 - buyer’s guide (2024)

Apple iPhone 13 mini

• Tiny OLED, high-res, bright
• Iconic design with ceramic shield, aluminum frame, IP68
• The latest Apple A15 Bionic chip with 5G
• The cameras take some great photos and videos
• Night Mode and Dolby Vision available
• Loud stereo speakers
• Improved battery life over 12 mini

• Potential throttling under certain conditions
• No charger, no headphones

Even if there is no iPhone 14 mini or iPhone 15 mini, probably waiting to be announced as the next iPhone SE, the Apple iPhone 13 mini remains the most compact yet flagship phone you can buy today. It is a smaller version of the iPhone 13 and it's lost nothing. The most important updates over the 12 mini are the larger battery capacity, the smaller screen notch, and the doubled base storage. We sure don't think iPhone 12 mini owners should update, but we do consider the 13 mini as the best compact phone there is right now.

The iPhone 13 mini packs a 5.4" OLED screen of 1080p resolution and the powerful Apple A15 chip with 5G connectivity! It has the same dual-camera as the regular iPhone 13, complete with sensor-shift stabilization, Night Mode and Dolby Vision video capturing. It also enjoys loud stereo speakers and improved battery life. Another best bits - the mini is one of the most durable phones to date as it has the same Ceramic Shield and IP68 water proofing as the standard and Pro models.

The iPhone 13 mini is the best compact smartphone to date, and we wholeheartedly recommend it. You should also consider the Apple iPhone 12 mini as it is cheaper, and the differences with the 13 mini aren't exciting.

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Samsung Galaxy S24

• No-nonsense, sturdy, grippy, compact design. The new matte finish looks great
• Even better durability than last year with V2 aluminum frame and still Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and IP68
• Outstanding OLED screen, slightly bigger and even brighter than last year
• Great battery life from a slightly bigger battery than last year
• Awesome stereo speakers
• Top-notch performance
• Solid photo and video quality across the board with a camera carried forward from last year
• Exciting One UI is now infused with plenty of AI; DeX support, and great connectivity options

• Hardware fragmentation is back, with some markets getting Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and some Exynos 2400 chips
• 128GB uses UFS 3.1 instead of UFS 4.0 storage
• No 10-bit color depth support for the screen
• The CPU and GPU both throttle down in performance quite aggressively under load
• Charging is still capped at 25W and there is no charger in the box

The Galaxy S24 offers a nice little incremental upgrade over its S23 predecessor without really innovating or breaking the mold in any major way. It is also one of the most compact Android flagships available and the small size didn't come at the cost of cut features.

The new, much brighter and a bit larger LTPO, 120Hz, Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is a great little step up from last year. The same goes for the new Armor Aluminum 2 frame, which is now complete with a matte finish. We also appreciate the slight bump in both battery capacity and actual battery endurance.

One UI 6.1 is also a nice incremental step up when it comes to general functionality, even if you ignore the major Galaxy AI injection, which, admittedly, is still an "acquired taste" for most users and will take some refinement and normalization before becoming an unquestionable and established value-add.

As for the whole chipset situation, we see how returning to a two-chip, segmented approach rubs many people the wrong way. We acknowledge that Samsung's own Exynos parts have a pretty bad reputation (deserved, at least in part). Still, from our first batch of testing, the Exynos 2400 variants of the Galaxy S24 and S24+, we can at least say that this year, the Exynos 2400 does seem pretty close in overall performance to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Going into wishful thinking for a bit here, we would have loved to see the vanilla S24 join its bigger siblings and get 45W charging this year. Ultra Wide Band (UWB) would have been a nice extra too. And Samsung just needs to stop offering the UFS 3.1 128GB base storage variant. We get why it's there, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. The same goes for the 8-bit displays, by the way.

In keeping with tradition, the Galaxy S24 continues to be a mighty yet surprisingly compact package. It is one of the few small flagships left out there, and that alone will ensure its popularity with buyers. Also, as usual, it is the cheapest way to get into Samsung's latest flagship line and for better or worse, that appeals to a particular crowd.

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Google Pixel 8

• Compact and premium build, easy to handle, dust- and water-resistant
• Bright and color-accurate 120Hz OLED panel
• Improved charging
• Overall, great camera quality with an unmatched character that has a loyal following
• Superb stereo speaker
• Android from the source, exclusive feature set, 7 years of software support

• Some software features are limited to certain countries
• No AF on the selfie camera, no Pro camera mode
• Ultrawide camera is underwhelming in low light
• A dedicated telephoto camera would have been nice
• Unimpressive battery life and no charger in the box

The Pixel 8 offers an improved viewing experience in line with 2023's industry standards, excellent camera experience, faster charging, 7 years of software support, and timely major OS updates. And, it is one of the most compact smartphones on the market, one of the most powerful, and one with a remarkable photo quality from its cameras.

But the Pixel 8 isn't without its flaws. For instance, a 3x telephoto unit would have been greatly appreciated as well wider availability for its smart features. After all, many of Pixel’s clever software features can't be utilized to its fullest in many markets. Charging and battery life aren't particularly impressive either, although somewhat okay in Pixel terms. We also wonder why Google decided to skip the autofocus feature on the selfie camera and the support for Pro camera mode on the smaller Pixel.

Bottom line, the Pixel 8 is an easy recommendation because, despite its issues, it's a significant upgrade over the previous generation and manages to pack competent hardware into a compact body..

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Sony Xperia 5 V

• It's not Xperia Compact, but close. IP68, grippy, lightweight, too.
• Classic no-nonsense design, GG Victus 2, IP68
• Excellent OLED screen, bright, 120Hz, color-accurate, no cutouts
• Superb battery life
• Very good speakers of equal size and balance
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• Excellent photo and video quality across the board
• Dependable video quality, great sound, top-notch stabilization
• Powerful hardware, pro camera apps
• 3.5mm jack, microSD expansion, physical camera shutter key

• No charger or no cable in the box
• No dynamic refresh rate for the screen
• No telephoto camera, no macro capabilities
• Throttles under heavy loads
• 128GB storage is the only built-in storage option

The incredibly compact Sony Xperia 5 V is a minor update over the Xperia 5 IV - it brings a more powerful chipset, newer Gorilla Glass panels, and an improved main camera at the expense of the retired zoom one. Luckily, 2x zoom is still present, with excellent quality at that.

The Xperia 5 V can also be considered a cheaper alternative, and a more compact one, to the flagship Xperia 1 V with a larger 4K display and a proper telephoto with variable zoom.

The Xperia 5 V has one of the best designs on the market - it's a timeless classic with a lovely grip, an impressively compact form factor and a very secure grip. The all-round ingress protection is greatly appreciated, too.

Then there is the cutout-free OLED with excellent properties. Sony hasn't figured out the variable refresh rate just yet, but judging from the outstanding battery life, we think not many users will hold this against them. The latest Snapdragon chip and RAM will always come in handy, as well as the improved thermals. We like the new stereo speaker setup a lot. And the audio jack. And the microSD expansion.

Most importantly, the Xperia 5 V delivers on every camera promise. It snaps some of the best photos a smartphone can offer in both day and night conditions, across all cameras at that - primary, ultrawide, selfie. Furthermore, the 2x zoom turned out excellent for photos and good in videos, too. All of that – wrapped into this small compact body. Nice!

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5

• Compact foldable, reasonable price
• Finally - gapless design
• IPX8-rated for water resistance
• Large and useful cover display with potential for further software tweaks
• Outstanding foldable display - bright, color-accurate, 120Hz, HDR
• The latest and greatest Snapdragon chipset
• Great all-round camera experience and quality
• Improved battery life, faster charging

• Heavily throttles under 100% CPU/GPU load
• No charger in the box
• Running full apps on the cover display requires going through hoops
• No DeX support

The Z Flip5 comes with two meaningful and significant upgrades. The gapless folding design is finally here, so the handset no longer looks like a prototype - it's sexier this way but also simply more compact. The other thing is the cover display - the new one is large enough to actually be useful for a change.

Alongside those two major developments, we're getting a handful of small ones that add up. The new chipset deserves a mention even if it was a given, but it's also at least partially responsible for the improved battery life compared to the previous generation - it has to be, since battery capacity has remained the same. Similarly, the camera hardware is unchanged, yet the 5 takes better pictures than the 4.

The Galaxy Flips have been steadily evolving, and with the Z Flip5, Samsung is approaching that point where it would need to do something big soon. For this year, however, we think a cover display and hinge will do. We'd be happy recommending the Galaxy Z Flip5 - just be sure to either grab one of the early promos or wait a couple of months for the inevitable price drops.

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Motorola Razr 40

• Exquisite Flip design with grippy vegan leather exterior
• Great primary display with a rather unobtrusive crease
• Helpful external OLED
• Adequate battery life, fast charging
• Loud stereo speakers, good audio quality
• Great sustained performance, no throttling, no heating
• Great all-round camera experience
• Polished software with 3 years of major updates

• Basic ingress protection
• We never saw 144Hz refresh rate on the screen unless forced
• GPU performance is behind direct competitors
• Electronic stabilization needs improvement

The Motorola Razr 40 can stand its ground successfully against most competitors and perhaps it is the only one to edge its value for money proposition. The Motorola Razr 40 is a modern foldable with exquisite design that is comfortable to hold and operate, too. The latter bits are surprisingly rare in the segment with the Galaxy Flip and Oppo Find Flip being properly slippery devices.

We found its foldable OLED to be of excellent quality, while its external OLED turned out to be quite useful if a step behind the 2023 trends. The loud stereo speakers were also a nice touch, as well as the solid camera quality across the board. The battery life turned out to be adequate for such a device, and if Motorola addresses the high standby drain with an update it could well become great.

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor is perhaps more than enough for the category as we don't see many heavy gamers going for flip phones. So all things considered we liked this compact Motorola Razr 40 and while it doesn't feel like it will be the new V3 it looks destined to become the most popular of the new generation Razr phones.

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Xiaomi 14

• One of the few compact flagship phones
• Upgraded LTPO OLED panel with variable refresh rate
• Exceptional battery life
• Very fast charging
• Versatile and reliable camera experience, great videos
• The new HyperOS seems more streamlined and efficient

• Quite slippery by design
• Throttles under heavy load

The Xiaomi 14 is a reasonably priced compact flagship phone. Overall, the handset is a capable mini flagship with plenty of big-screen features - a full stack of excellent cameras, LTPO OLED, fast charging, solid battery life and plenty of storage.

What we would like to see in the next version of the Xiaomi 14 is autofocus on the ultrawide camera, better selfie and better thermals during long and heavy workloads. We found the Xiaomi 14 to throttle significantly under load, which may ruin your gaming experience in some cases.

Still, the Xiaomi 14 is easy to recommend as it's perhaps the most capable compact Android flagship currently on the market.

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